Through Rock and Fire
by Dungeonwriter
Summary: Zuko and Toph drabbles, from the High Born challenge. This one: Respect
1. Nightmares and Daydreams

Nightmares and daydreams

Toph and Zuko had similar nightmares.

Being alone, being a failure, being trapped by parents who would and could never understand them.

Trapped in gilded cages that seemed to suffocate them more and more each day. Realizing that they were born helpless and that they would never live up to being heroes and warriors.

Both of them had woken up at night, drenched in sweat and pinching themselves to make sure that they were awake, where the nightmares couldn't hurt them.

Now that the war was over, the nightmares had become real. And both of them had conquered them.

Zuko had conquered his father's evil and had proven himself worthy of the throne and the love of his people. Although he had been bruised and battered by the fight, he had emerged triumphant. He had emerged Fire Lord.

Toph had proved herself a true warrior. She had fought for her nation and her family and had won great respect. When she returned, a General of the Earth Nation army, her parents had been forced to realize their little girl wasn't so helpless.

Back to back, they had fought together to build a world where they would only have pleasant daydreams of a better future.


	2. Payback

Chapter Two 

Payback

"You burned my feet," Toph had informed him. "You're going to pay for that." So she sparred him till he was breathless and shaking with exhaustion, pushing him till he was seconds from begging from mercy. After all, it was only fair. What comes around, goes around.

Of course, they had gone through a lot. They had gone through fights, and bickering and battles of wit that had lasted hours and always ended with a massive bending battle. Sokka and Aang had spent lots of time betting nuts over the outcome.

And they had also fought a war and lost friends like Haru the Earthbender and gained allies like Ty Lee the Circus freak and watched a hundred years war end. It hadn't been easy and each of them had cracked sometimes under the pressure. But they had the other to pull them up when the missiles were flying. They had done it together.

'You stole my heart," Toph informed him three years later. "You're going to pay for that." So she married him and gave him three beautiful children and raised them all to be fierce warriors and spent her days teasing her husband and making him laugh. What comes around, goes around.

**And there will be more! **


	3. Wounds

WOUNDS

"I'm sorry about burning your feet," Zuko said softly, as he approached Toph. He did regret hurting the smaller girl. It made him feel cruel, like Azula.

"It will heal. Wounds do that, " Toph said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll survive. The question is, will you survive my revenge?" That was a fair question, one he was actually worrying about. Still, he had hurt her and that made him feel terrible.

The rebel prince sighed, and touched his face. "Not all wounds heal. Some just stay on your face forever." Worse, they stayed in your soul.

"That's idiotic. Wounds turn into scars, badges of honor. I got my fair share in the ring and each of them proved how strong I was to survive."

"That's a new way of looking at it," Zuko said, not sure if she was crazy or right. Maybe she was both.

"And besides, I'm blind so I can't see them," Toph said, sighing. Zuko smiled. What an innocent, sweet answer. He was charmed by how little she knew what he suffered. "Since I see with vibrations...I just see people for what they really are...without their clothing. Not bad!"

Zuko winced and blushed.

That was a wound he wouldn't recover from.


	4. Castles in the Sky

Castles in the Sky 

"Do you think Aang's going to be able to save the world?" Toph asked, as Zuko practiced with his sword. It was a few days away from Sozin's comet and Aang's current plan was just give all he had and hope for the best. "Or should we prepare for plan three?"

"I don't know. It's his destiny," Zuko replied. He was going to trust the Avatar. "I guess destiny just has to work out, someway or another. My uncle used to say that if one follows one's heart, one will reach the right place," he answered, backing into another set of movements.

"Your uncle is really smart. But sometimes, I think all that mystic stuff is all castles in the sky," Toph said, her voice growing harder. "I prefer my feet on solid ground."

"I used to think that way. But...if I hadn't have been banished, I'd never knew the truth about the war. I'd never realize that my father was a monster who didn't care about anyone but himself. And I wouldn't know you," he said, his voice growing a little more soft.

"Well, that would have been a definite tragedy," Toph said, turning away slightly for some reason. Zuko wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he knew she was happy. He was glad. She was a real special little kid. "Because, you need me."


	5. Sunrise

_**Sunrise**_

"I'm supposed to be Fire Lord," Zuko said for the seventeenth time as he adjusted the voluminous robes around him. He sounded like a pig-hen adjusting his feathers.

"In a minute, you're going to be chewing rock," Toph growled. She wasn't too happy being forced into a gown herself. Just because this was a coronation, didn't mean she had to be confined in silk chains. "You're about to be one of the most powerful men in the world. Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I guess. I just...dreamed of this second for so long. And now it's here," Zuko said, as he began to pace across the floor. "And I'm not sure how I should feel."

"You should feel good. It's been three years since the War ended. Your evil dad is in chains, your sister is dead and your uncle is waiting to pass on the crown. Stop moping and questioning things. You won. Rejoice! Throw a party!" Toph ordered, wondering if smacking him would help. It had worked before.

"I guess...you're right," Zuko mumbled, as he stopped pacing and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course I'm right. It's the sunrise of your reign, the chance for you to make things right. Leave your doubts here and go out there!" Toph ordered. She was not going to tolarate any angsting on this wonderful day.

"What would I do without you, Lady Toph?" Zuko asked, taking her hand.

"Fail. That's why I am marrying you," Toph said, giving him a rare smile. She knew he'd be like the rising sun, a beacon of light and majesty...as long as she was by his side. "It's just civic duty, to prevent you from screwing up." But she couldn't let him get too haughty!

_Dedicated to Claudia for translating this into Italian! _

_Grazie! _


	6. Sunset

Sunset 

I never hated the Fire Lord. I was Toph Bei-Fong, I had never known starvation or pain because of him. My father and mother had always protected me from the war and all the bad things that came with it.

Sure, I joined with Aang and his crew, but it was more for the adventure. I didn't have a personal stake in this.

Aang had a destiny.

Katara had a debt of vengeance.

Sokka had a personal mission.

Me? I was just avoiding the golden cage my parents built for me. I would have most likely joined Azula's merry murderers had they asked me first.

Now that I see him, I am so grateful that it's me who is about to give him some pain.

This is for my friend Iroh, who should have been Fire Lord, who should have had everything and instead suffered.

This was for Zuko, who was considered worthless, helpless, useless, just as I have.

This was for me, to remind him once and for all, that you didn't have to be perfect to be amazing.

And as he cried out in pain, as rocks pelted him, I realized that this was the sunset to all that pain.

My friends and I would be creating a better tomorrow.


	7. Blind

_**Blind**_

_For Liooness, for all her great drabbles!_

"Let me help you," Toph smirked, as she watched her new punching bag struggle through a complicated set of moves. He kept missing the rhythm, which was throwing his balance off center. "You're doing it wrong."

"And how would you know? You're..." Zuko asked haughtily. He was going to pay for that comment, even before he could say it.

"Blind? I think you're the blind one here. You're too blind to notice that you don't shift your weight properly when you are transferring between moves. You're also too blind to notice that you favor moves that expend huge amounts of energy, leaving you vulnerable if you miss. And you're so blind, you don't even know that I could take you with one hand tied behind my back and still not break a sweat." Toph was debating actually making good on her threats. "I hope you're not blind enough to make me demonstrate."

"No," her new punching bag said laconically. He didn't seem annoyed at all. "I wasn't going to say blind."

"You weren't?" Toph asked, putting down the rocks she was gently moving closer to her.

"I was going to say an earth-bender. Your style is different from mine. I'd never call you blind. I've seen what you can do. You're one of the strongest in the group." Now that was something she liked to hear.

"Wow, you're smarter than I thought you were." Toph was beginning to be to be glad she gave this guy a chance.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Zuko asked, sounding a bit confused.

"Yes. So can I help you now? I'm sure even an Earthbender can give you a few points," Toph said, her smile much sweeter now.


	8. Respect

_**Toko New Years Challange One**_

It's all because of his messed up family. Toph had long decided that had Zuko been born to a normal family, he would have been a lot less driven. He would have been content to be who he was and not try to be anyone else. He wouldn't have pushed himself to run around after a lost cause, drilling himself endlessly to try and win the favor of a father who never cared about him. He wouldn't have known the pain of losing a parent and knowing that it might have been his fault that she left. He would have never known that siblings lied and cheated and schemed to kill you, and would hide it behind a smile.

Even his uncle was pretty messed up. Toph knew Zuko just considered him a sweet, lovable, lazy man who represented good. If he only knew what the Earth Kingdom knew, that thousands had died under the man's hand, before he turned back at Ba Sing Se. That was the man that had taught Zuko good.

Had Zuko been born to a normal family, he would have been boring and weak and complacent. Zuko's messed up family made him strong, made someone Toph could actually respect.


End file.
